Authorities discovered firearms, illegal drugs, and various reptiles during a search of a home after a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot himself.
According to Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey, the child was initially taken to UAB St. Vincent’s Blount and later airlifted to Children’s of Alabama. He underwent surgery and is currently in stable condition.
Deputies responded after being notified by hospital staff that the boy had suffered a gunshot wound from a handgun. The bullet had passed through both his arm and leg.
The child’s parents, Cassandra Lutz and Alexander Corrie, did not report the shooting to law enforcement. Instead, the hospital contacted authorities.
Lutz told deputies she was in the kitchen at the time of the incident, while Corrie claimed he was outside. When asked what happened, the young child responded, “I got shot by a gun.”
Authorities obtained a search warrant and went to the family’s residence in the Sugarland Lake area, which included multiple trailers. In the trailer where the family lived, they discovered:
- A juvenile crocodile, Cayman or alligator in a bathroom
- 24 live snakes, believed to be constrictors and not venomous
- 6 dead snakes covered in maggots
- Boxes of mice and rats
- Multiple unsecured firearms found near where the children were located
- Drug paraphernalia and suspected marijuana
The reptiles were taken by animal control and the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Sheriff Mark Moon said the discovery of a crocodile inside the home was alarming, and had it grown too large to be contained, it might have been released into a nearby lake, posing a threat to the community.
Moon also described the home as uninhabitable, citing the presence of decaying animals and unsanitary living conditions. A second, younger child was removed from the residence and both children were placed in protective custody.
Lutz and Corrie were arrested and are facing several charges. They faces the following charges:
- Assault
- Chemical endangerment of a child
- Ten counts of animal cruelty
- Six counts of failure to bury/burn livestock
They remain in the Blount County Jail and may face additional charges related to the unpermitted possession of wildlife.
